Tag Archives: WHO’S the CAPTAIN?

Jul30

TENDER TUESDAYS-Prairie Girl Series #39

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TENDER TUESDAYS-Prairie Girl Series #39

TwoCan XL Renamed…IRP

(Inheritance Reduction Plan)

Episode Four

Maintenance…Maintenance…Maintenance

Totally pumped and provisioned for a Desolation Sound adventure, Prairie Girl and husband set off with anticipation of meeting up with their SCYC friends in Gorge, Rebecca Spit, or Cortez Is.  They hadn’t travelled that direction since the TwoCan XL had been purchased. They were anxious to try new anchorages and revisit some of the coves they had enjoyed in the past.  That’s why they set off on a lumpy crossing to False Bay on Lasqueti Island. Of course, the wind was coming straight at them, so no sails went up that day.

The anchorage was lovely and all went well, until evening when husband went up the … Read the rest

Jul22

TENDER TUESDAYS-Prairie Girl Series #36

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TENDER TUESDAYS-Prairie Girl Series #36

TwoCan XL Renamed…IRP

                    (Inheritance Reduction Plan)

EPISODE ONE-  MAINTENANCE…MAINTENANCE…MAINTENANCE

Due to Covid restrictions and travel bans, husband was more anxious, much earlier than usual, to have the TwoCan XL serviced in preparation for an early spring sailing adventure.  We’re talking January, dear readers. You know, the time of year on Vancouver Island from which one normally escapes to sunny international destinations. The kind of weather that is hovering around 0-6 degrees Celsius, wet, and smattered with serious gale force windstorms.  Prairie Girl put her foot down and pressed for the end of March, early April to deliver the boat to Sidney for this IMPORTANT service. The compromise made, you’re wondering?  The next appointment booked in Sidney … Read the rest

May20

TENDER TUESDAYS-PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #28

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TENDER TUESDAYS-PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #28

SCHOONER COVE YACHT CLUB’S

NON-TRADITIONAL SAIL PAST 2019

It is the beginning of May and Yacht Clubs all over the Pacific NW are celebrating their opening day of the boating season with a dignified Sail Past ceremony. Schooner Cove Yacht Club, located in Nanoose Bay on Vancouver Island, had such a day planned for their membership. Now if you recall from reading other Prairie Girl Learns to Sail posts and previous COCKPIT CONFESSION stories, Prairie Girl’s husband became Commodore of the SCYC in November, 2018. Of course, the Sail Past is something that all members and guests love to participate in with the dock ceremony and the parade of boats sailing past to salute the Commodore and the Commander of … Read the rest

Feb6

TENDER TUESDAYS-PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES#25

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TENDER TUESDAYS-PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES#25

NEW BOAT DILEMMA

For those of you who follow my Prairie Girl Learns to Sail posts, you will know that husband recently decided that their 28 foot Catalina (the TwoCan) just wasn’t adequate anymore and became the proud owner of a 35 foot Beneteau (the TwoCanXL). And if you read my blog (Prairie Girl Series #23-Dec. 2, 2018), you will also know that Prairie Girl is somewhat challenged in the sailing skills department. This is noted in the author page of her book, WHO’S the CAPTAIN? that states:

“MARY LAUDIEN (alias PRAIRE GIRL) is a fair weather sailor (better known as a cruiser). She has never taken a sailing lesson or a power squadron/VHF Radio

… Read the rest
May30

TENDER TUESDAYS- PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #20

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TENDER TUESDAYS- PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #20

A FISHY START to the BOATING SEASON’S

OPENING DAY

May 6th was the official start to the BOATING SEASON for our Yacht Club.  Members spent days ahead of the event with haul outs to power wash their boats, scrub the hull and paint the bottoms, finishing off with the onerous process of waxing and buffing.  Prairie Girl, in the past, had never shared in this part of the boat prep. Of course, it didn’t help that husband kept making bookings and cancelling them. (Apparently the forecast was for rain… which, she might add, did NOT materialize on the second booking!).

 

However, the real glitch in the booking process ended up being the timing.  Of course, the pull-out’s 3rd … Read the rest

Apr17

TENDER TUESDAYS-PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #19

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TENDER TUESDAYS-PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #19

PRIMED FOR SAILING SEASON

How did it happen to be mid-April already?   Some of Prairie Girl’s and husband’s friends already had their boats hauled out in March and have them in tip top shape, ready to sail when the weather clears up. They’ll be out on the water in a flash.

Not so for this sailor and her Captain. They’ve actually cancelled their haul- out twice now, believing they didn’t have a good weather window. Wrong! The sun shone after the morning showers and husband freaked out that he had let his coveted haul-out spot go. When will it possibly get done with the many Yacht Club executive meetings and regattas (He is a Vice Commodore, after all…) and … Read the rest

Aug16

GOOD OLD BOAT NEWSLETTER BOOK REVIEW AUGUST 2017

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GOOD OLD BOAT NEWSLETTER BOOK REVIEW AUGUST 2017

It has happened again! WHO’S the CAPTAIN? has been reviewed by GOOD OLD BOAT’S Newsletter Reviewer, Carolyn Corbett.  I am so thrilled with how she caught the complete essence of this humorous picture book targeted for  boating families, that I just had to share it with you!

GOOD OLD BOAT -August 2017 Newsletter

 

WHO’S THE CAPTAIN?

BY MARY LAUDIEN, ILLUSTRATIONS BY DAVE ALAVOINE (CREATESPACE, 2016; 56 PAGES, PRINT $13.99 USD/$14.99 CDN; EBOOK $7.99)

REVIEW BY CAROLYN CORBETT (LAKE SHORE, MN)

Who’s the Captain? is a 56 page picture book of sailing life according to Dad and his crew. The humor in the text is accentuated by clever, colorful cartoons. Older kids who are familiar with the ins and outs

… Read the rest
Aug7

Pacific Yachting Magazine (08/17) Book Review: WHO’S the CAPTAIN?

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Pacific Yachting Magazine (08/17) Book Review: WHO’S the CAPTAIN?

 

Imagine Prairie Girl’s delight when she opened up her August copy of PACIFIC YACHTING MAGAZINE and found a half page BOOK REVIEW of WHO’S the CAPTAIN?  it embraced the magic of the collaboration between David Alavoine (PY’s cartoonist/ COCKPIT CONFESSIONS page) and myself in creating a humorous book that would appeal to all members of sailing/boating families.

Both storyteller and illustrator must have been synced closely during this collaboration, as Alavoine’s cartoons seem to mirror so closely the mood of each of Laudien’s vignettes.

There’s something to resonate here for every sailor- or sailor wannabe, I’m betting. Laudien has fun with some of the curious and puzzling nautical terms and how they can be misconstrued, with family dynamics, and

… Read the rest
May21

SAILING SEASON START-UP on the PACIFIC NORTHWEST COAST

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SAILING SEASON START-UP on the PACIFIC NORTHWEST COAST

SAILING/BOATING FAMILIES ALERT!

It is the May long weekend (Victoria Day) in Canada and boaters are out on the waters for the start-up of the season.  PRAIRIE GIRL is wondering if you have your copy of WHO’S the CAPTAIN? aboard your vessels? Remember what Pacific Yachting’s Book Reviewer (Cherie Thiessen) had to say,

“There’s something to resonate here for every sailor- or sailor wannabe, I’m betting.”

And then there is the endorsement from David Eggert (Director of Development and Relief Captain), SALTS Sail and Life Training Society- “Training Young People, By the Sea, for Life”,

“I loved the book. Great humor and fantastic illustrations.  Most certainly to be enjoyed by cruising families.”

Why is WHO’S the CAPTAIN? a must

… Read the rest
Nov28

TENDER TUESDAYS

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TENDER TUESDAYS

SILVER LINING in WHO’S the CAPTAIN?

BOOK LAUNCH

THE BOOK LAUNCH DAYDREAM VERSUS REALITY

You can imagine it, can’t you? The venue chosen is unique, as the perfect spot for drawing the niche of people for which one’s book was written. (MARTIN MARINE –so ideal as a long established North Shore family business that boaters frequent.) It’s in a community that both the author and illustrator had lived in and sailed from, as contributors for many years. Thus, a full house of familiar faces was anticipated coming through the door to share in the celebration of their book. Perfect! Right? (Reality Check: Perfect on a sunny spring day- YES! Maybe not so perfect on a cold, … Read the rest